Buzzmills

Paper hearts...

Hi there!!  If you are stopping by via Pinterest or from another link, thanks so much for coming!  And, while you're at it, take a look around...there's lots of fun stuff to see! 

Last Friday I made a quick trip to Michaels for a few supplies.  

One of the things I needed to pick up was a new pair of tiny scissors for cutting appliques, etc.  because I looked and looked and looked and for the life of me I could not find my super sharp, fantastic gingher scissors anywhere! I know they are here somewhere!  I can't, for the life of me, seem to keep any of my things in order and organized no matter how much I try!  Part of the problem is that there are always little fingers and hands creeping around my sewing area (which has no door)...and I am always putting my scissors in weird places so that they can't find them.  And, apparently, also so that I can continue to reassure myself that I actually am loosing my mind some days!  Ha ha ha!

So, anywho...we went for some new fill-in scissors and a couple of other things.  We mostly only got what was on our list.  Not on my list, was a large heart hole punch.  I had a coupon...that and I just couldn't resist it!  I have been wanting to make a paper heart garland for a while now, but wasn't too keen on the idea of having to cut out all of those hearts by hand.  

It was well worth it!  I love these hearts!

And, I love how easy this little project was...punch and sew, that's it!  

So, while I intended to work on some of my appliques last Friday afternoon while Henry was napping, that didn't end up happening...b/c instead this did...

Violet climbed into Henry's crib!  Result, no nap for Henry and no real sewing for mom.  

But, heart punching and paper sewing, well that was a cinch!  And, seriously, these hearts make me so happy.  

It's like little bits of love just floating in the air!  They make me HAPPY!  I think that it might also be the idea of having easy handmade mobile-like things in our large front window.  In the fall we had acorns and paper leaves that Violet made hanging from our hand-picked sticks.  (Excuse the terrible gray day phone photo)
 Violet and I decided that we should always hang something from those sticks, something different each season perhaps...

We had a few left so I added them to our simple pine cone wreath.  
Easy, cheap, wreath update from Christmas to Valentine's Day!  Yay!  

And, if you decide to do this...don't waste the scraps!  You can use them as decorations just like Dana did here.  Or, if you use card stock, which I did in some cases (some of the hearts were from origami paper), you can use the scraps as stencils for the kids (or adults) to use for future art projects! 

We are definitely feeling the love here ;)

Oh, and speaking of feeling the love...did you notice the adorable little rainbow girls up there at the top in my left side bar?  That's Imagine Gnats!  We are doing a little sponsorship swap, Rachael's idea!  Check out her blog and some of her other sponsors!  

Have a lovely day!

Productivity...

Yay, I've been working on some custom orders this weekend...and they are all done!

I sewed a couple owls onto shirts...

Designed this adorable shirt!!  

And made a four leaf clover shirt for a sweet, almost four year old, St. Patrick's Birthday girl, with an extra lucky ladybug too!

I made my first four leaf clover shirt nearly three years ago for her first birthday

And her mom (who is quite creative herself...she is an author...check out some of her books, very fun reads!!)requested an update! What a fun request!  I can't wait to see a picture of her in her new shirt!!  Incidentally, she was the inspiration for my first giraffe as well!!

I remember Violet, who had just turned one herself, staring at me making this little giraffe and really wanting to snuggle it for herself.  Things haven't really changed here when I make stuffed animals...she still wants to snuggle them all herself, even though she has many of her own!  

I also made a couple of Valentiney shirts for a new baby and her big sister!  

And my new favorite new baby onesie to give...a calendar shirt...

And to round it all out...three custom sister owls...

A productive weekend...oh and some silly family fun too...

So, I'd say it's been a great weekend!  Hope yours is too!

Oh, hi there...

Just passing through...yes, please mind me...

Have a wonderful weekend!  

Hoping you have something fun, relaxing or productive planned...I will be working on some custom orders (YAY!) and maybe we'll fit in some fun family stuff too, yay again!

Wrapping packages...

This is such a great way to keep little hands busy and working.  I donated some old wrapping paper, boxes, and ribbon to Violet so that she could wrap some "packages".  It is a quiet project.  It is great fine motor work using scissors and tape.  And, the end product...a beautiful package delivered to me!  What's inside?...Oh, who knows...that's where our imagination comes in!  

Okay, so we are, sort of, getting used to this whole no nap thing.

Sweater slippers...

Hi there!!  If you are stopping by via Pinterest or from another link, thanks so much for coming!  And, while you're at it, take a look around...there's lots of fun stuff to see! 

 

Last week was cold.  This week is not.  Last week the site of little bare piggy toes made me shiver a bit just looking at them, so I made some slippers...

I started with fleece and scrapped that for some upcycled sweater sleeves.  I put the little feet in the sleeves to measure and snipped across the sleeves.

Sorry, but that is the extent of the pictures I have while making the slippers.  There might have been more but the slippers were being made in the midst of watching and important football game... 

Then I hand sewed up the opening where I cut them from the sweater and used the cuff for around the ankle.  The striped pair needed a bit of elastic to keep them on so I folded the top toward the inside and sewed a channel big enough for a piece of 1" elastic to feed through.  For the bottoms I trace little feet and the cut out felt to match the foot templates.  I put the slippers on Violet's feet and carefully pinned the felt onto the bottom of the slippers and then hand sewed the felt onto the bottom with some embroidery floss.  I added two little patches of leather on the bottom with some glue to ensure they wouldn't be too slippery.

So, I guess we can say that the slippers were partly successful and partly not.  They are cute and keep those little toes warm and cozy.  The part that was not successful...Henry's aren't finished yet because he refused to put them on long enough for me to partially pin the felt in place.  That is just his 20 month old independent little self screaming out right?!  The other part...While Violet does really like her slippers she is more often inclined to put on her ballet shoes to strut around...A bit excited for her first ballet class next week I guess!! 

I do miss that stripey sweater though...hmmm...maybe a cowl pour moi?!

********Update:  Violet has been wearing her slippers all the time these past few days, yay!  Which, of course, caused Henry to want his, yay!  So, I finished Henry's up.  Violet was calling them his duck slippers, for some reason...so I thought they need a little beak.  I got lazy and didn't put on the eyes, I still think they are cute, and Henry proudly wears his now, just like his sister.   But oh my, if I thought having him sit still for a second to quickly pin the felt on was hard...taking pictures of his feet was even more difficult!!

And, linking up here again...

 

I'm doing well so far ;)